In the midst of the spectacular horticultural offerings at last weekend\u2019s Bord Bia Bloom festival, Meaghers Pharmacy Group has opened a dedicated 360\u00b0 Wellness Village as part of the company\u2019s celebrations marking 25 years in business.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaghers has been rooted in wellness for twenty-five years – supporting people not just when they are unwell, but in staying well every day,\u201d says Oonagh O\u2019Hagan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The business was first established on Dublin\u2019s Baggot Street by the Meagher family in 1921. O\u2019Hagan purchased the firm from the family in 2001 and has since opened another nine stores across Dublin. In 2014, the business went online and now provides customer service worldwide, shipping to over 80 countries internationally. The firm has been named a Deloitte Best Managed company every year since 2014, and included as one of Ireland\u2019s Best Workplaces since 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cI bought Meaghers on Baggot Street at the tender age of 28 for \u00a32m punts at the time,\u201d O\u2019Hagan recalled of those first fledgling steps. \u201cI look back now and think how could I have been so brave and why wasn\u2019t I crippled with fear at the responsibility – but I knew in my gut that I could make it work, I just didn\u2019t quite know how at that point in time.\u201d Predictably, getting a loan was difficult, and she received a number of \u2018no\u2019 responses before eventually getting the go-ahead from AIB.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t prepared for some of the questions that were put to me in the first meetings, but I asked them why they had rejected me and took those learnings and feedback to help me prepare for the next meeting.\u201d Preparation and knowing your numbers are key, she says: \u201cThat experience of the initial rejections built an understanding of what they were looking for and gave me the confidence on how I should answer. I always say: reject rejection. It\u2019s not like you\u2019ve failed, it\u2019s just a learning and is part of the journey to getting a \u2018yes\u2019 eventually. People should expect rejection and not be put off by it. My message is not to give up – if you have a dream, keep going for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A quarter century ago in 2001, pharmacy was still a largely traditional business, operating the same way for decades. \u201cBack then, pharmacies were very much about reactive care. There were no screenings; it was all about prescriptions and dealing with illnesses. There was no talk about wellness. People were coming into the pharmacy saying: \u2018I\u2019m sick, how do I get better\u2019 – and not looking at how they could prevent illness.”<\/p>\n
“Back then,\u00a0there were no private consultation rooms so you were having to talk to people on the shop floor \u2013 the whole operational side of the business was completely different. We have worked for many years now to reposition Meaghers as a \u2018Wellness destination\u2019 and to move the conversation away from sickness and much more towards health. We are the pharmacy to come to if you want to stay well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the early 2000s, she remembers being the only female businessperson at commercial events was a common occurrence. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel different, but I certainly felt that I was the only woman in lots of business situations.\u201d Her mother, Liza, who managed a large lingerie manufacturing plant in Tyrone was a strong role model. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel it was unusual to be a woman in business. However, when I started going to networking events, I was often the only woman in the room. It made me wonder, \u2018where are all the women\u2019 rather than question why I was there.\u201d O\u2019Hagan credits the experience for volunteering as a Lead Entrepreneur on the Going for Growth programme for female entrepreneurs, supporting more women to grow and scale their businesses in Ireland.<\/p>\n
The Meaghers Group have been fostering wellness since 2014 when a strategic change was enacted to move the conversation from sickness to wellness. \u201cWe began stocking high-quality brands \u2014 such as Symprove for gut health and have recently launched At One, a premium supplement containing a blend of anti-inflammatory ingredients to help bring your body back into balance. We want to ensure our customers had access to the best preventative products and wellness services.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2024, the firm introduced Meaghers Pharmacy 360\u00b0, an integrative health approach bringing together elements of lifestyle medicine – nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management and connection to support the physical and mental wellbeing<\/a>. \u201cThe real magic happens when you introduce Pharmacy 360\u00b0 alongside a chronic illness,\u201d she explains. \u201cWhich is why we\u2019ve brought the 360\u00b0 Wellness Village to Bord Bia Bloom – educating, inspiring and empowering visitors to live healthier, happier lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n